5 stars who could be Bryan Danielson's final opponent in AEW
Bryan Danielson's AEW contract is set to expire this year before All In at Wembley Stadium on August 25. He had stated earlier that he was planning to retire from full-time wrestling and could continue being a part-timer.
It hasn't been revealed yet if he will walk away from promotion upon the expiry of his current deal or whether he will re-sign with the company. In the event he decides to part ways with the Jacksonville-based promotion then the fans might witness his final match in AEW very soon.
Last year in an interview, Danielson named a few stars who he wanted to wrestle before retiring.
One of those stars might be the opponent for his last match in the Jacksonville-based promotion. Here we shall explore the possibilities of some wrestlers who could be the legend's last opponent.
#1 Darby Allin
Speaking on the Getting Over podcast, Bryan Danielson revealed a few names he would like to get inside the ring against before retiring. Darby Allin was one of the stars he picked to lock horns with.
"For example, I would love to do a match with Darby Allin in Seattle. How cool would that be?" he said in the interview.
Bryan Danielson and Darby Allin have never stepped inside the same ring as opponents. Recently they had a match at AEW Double or Nothing but they fought from the same side.
#2 Nick Wayne
Nick Wayne was another wrestler The American Dragon picked to have a match against. The two stars also haven't had the chance to go head-to-head against each other.
Even Wayne in a recent interview with Casual Conversations With the Classics stated that he would like to have a match with Bryan Danielson, who the former considered to be the best wrestler in the world.
"He’s [Bryan Danielson] the best wrestler in the world. You’d want to wrestle him, you’d want to get better. You’d want him to elevate you and that’s exactly what I would like,” said Wayne.
The young starlet was also mindful of the fact that Danielson was a huge star who possessed the ability to put him over with the fans, thus increasing the former's popularity with wrestling fans.
#3 Swerve Strickland
Bryan Danielson had also named Swerve Strickland as his choice of opponent to wrestle before retiring. He wrestled the AEW World Champion last year on the October 10, 2023, edition of Wednesday Night Dynamite and managed to pick up the win.
![AEW World Champion Swerve Strickland [Images via Swerve's X account]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/06/fada1-17180352899611-1920.jpg?w=500)
However, fans could see the two stars take on each other once again as The Realest Star had expressed his desire to have a rematch. In an interview with News4Jax, he admitted he wanted payback on Danielson for the last time the two were inside the ring against each other.
“Hopefully he’s doing okay, because I saw the match [with Will Ospreay]. Hopefully he’s doing okay. When the time is right for him to come back, I have a score to settle with him because we faced off on Dynamite and I lost in that match. He owes me,” Strickland after the Bryan vs Will Ospreay match.
A send-off in a title match for the AEW World Championship would surely be the best possible final match for the legend.
#4 Kenny Omega
Speaking in the same interview, the 43-year-old veteran also said that he would like to face Kenny Omega once again before retiring. The two stars have a part in many matches but have met inside the ring for a singles bout only twice.
One of the matches took place in 2021 at AEW and the other happened outside the Jacksonville-based promotion. The Cleaner is currently out of action due to diverticulis. However, fans are hopeful that he might return to action in time for the All In pay-per-view event.
#5 Nigel McGuinness
Nigel McGuiness is another wrestler who could end up being The American Dragon's final opponent in AEW. The former ROH star has been teasing a match against Bryan Danielson for some time now.
So it is possible the fans could see the two stars go against each other soon if McGuiness gets medically cleared. The former WWE personality recently hinted at coming out of a 12-year retirement.